After the successful completion of the relief works, HMG initiated the rehabilitation and reconstruction works from September 22, 1988. A high power quake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Committee was constituted under the Chair of Hon. Minister for Housing an Physical Planning.
The main objective of the Rehabilitation Plan is to reconstruct government buildings and public infrastructure and to provide possible support to the people to rebuild their shelter.
The scope of the Plan has been defined by the extent of damage under different categories.
Residential Buildings: About 65,000 residential buildings in 33 districts have been seriously affected by the earthquake making them inhabitable.
Infrastructure: The Plan does not cover the reconstruction of irrigation and power infrastructure which will be dealt by the concerned agencies. The damage of roads and bridges accounted for Rs. 1.56 billion. A T.V. transmission has been damaged in Biratnagar. Its reconstruction will cost about Rs. five million.
Government Buildings: The reconstruction of educational buildings will require about Rs. 100 million and that of health buildings about Rs 40 million. Other government buildings will require about Rs 150 million.
Community buildings and temples: The damage of Panchayat owned buildings and temples is estimated at Rs. 40 million.
Residential Buildings
This Plan is primarily concerned with totally damaged and seriously cracked buildings which are no more habitable. No special support program has been envisaged for affected buildings which can be made habitable after minor repairs. Housing loan and technical support are the elements for the rehabilitation of residential buildings.
Housing Loan Program
The amount and terms of loan for different areas are fixed as follows:
Rural areas: A maximum loan of Rs 10,000/- with one percent interest for the first Rs. 5000/ and 10 percent for the next Rs. 5000 will be provided for each totally damaged or seriously cracked buildings. Capital repayment will be made in six installments from the third year to the eighth year.
District Headquarters: A maximum loan of Rs. 20,000/- with one percent interest for the first 5000 rupees and 10 percent for the remaining Rs. 15,000 will be provided for each house. Repayment of the capital will be made from the third year to the eighth year.
Urban Areas (Nagar Panchayat): A loan up to Rs. 50,000 will be provided at 10 percent interest rate. An additional amount not exceeding Rs. 50,000 could be borrowed at current interest rates. Capital repayment will be made in six installments from the third to the eighth year.
Cash grant: A cash grant of Rs. 600 will be provided for each house on the condition that sulov latrine has been constructed. In district headquarters, sulov latrines are made mandatory and Rs. 600 will be provided after the construction of the latrine.
Technical support program: In order to ensure better quality of residential buildings the following provisions are made under the technical support program:
1. More efficient and economical buildings designs will be prepared and circulated to increase technical awareness among the pople
2. Demonstration buildings will be constructed
3. About 800 to 1000 workers will be trained in th field of improved stoves, sulov latrines, production of building materials and low-cost building techniques. Training programs will include information on the construction of sulov latrines and low-cost sanitation practices, use of smokeless improved stoves, prevention from dampness and health related construction aspects, construction techniques for craftsmen, adoption of standardized doors and windows and low-cost construction techniques, information on architecture, mortar joints, foundation relating to prevention from natural disasters, Low-cost building design, using local building materials and use of improved equipments.
4. Technical support will be provided for cluster development according to the approved structure plans for settlements. Feasibility studies will be conducted for the development of clusters.
5. R and D programs will be launched to ensure the maximum utilization of local building materials. Production of building materials will be given priority. A cement tile production plant will be implemented.
HMG will play meaningful roles as specified below:
– reconstruction of government buildings
– rehabilitation of public infrastructure and services
– to bear the interest subsidy amd make necessary administrative and legal arrangements or th distribution of loan through commercial banks,
– to make necessary budgetary and manpower provision for the special project.
– to prepare low cost buildings designs and construction demonstration projects.
– to exempt royalties and local taxes levied on local building materials
– to disseminate technical information by constructing model house and develop improved construction techniques
– to increase the use of local building materials through R &D activities and also produce cement tile on an experimental basis.
– to grant Rs 600 for th construction of sulov latrines in areas other than town panchayats.
– to make building materials easily available in district headquarters
– to prepare norms and quake resistance measures.
– to give trianing to overseers and engineers working for the special project
– to arrange training programs for bank officials
Besides, the Plan envisages to ensure active participation of all the concerned agencies. The banking sector, the local panchayats and the beneficiaries are assigned different roles.
Commercial banks: The main function of th commercial banks is loan disbursement. The commercial bank will designate its branch and sub-branch offices to distribute the loan even up to the village level as per the needs. The bank will simplify its loan disbursement procedures and deal with the beneficiaries directly.
Local Panchayats and Class organizations: These local organizations will ensue the use of the loan in the reconstruction of the shelter. They will assess the local needs and make the information available to the concerned agencies. They will play an active role in information dissemination and help to conduct training programs designed to train local works.They will reconstruct community buildings. Thy will also help HMG in its evaluation work.
Beneficieries: As the main objective of the Rehabilitation Plan is to provide possible hlep to the affected people in the construction of their shelter, the burden of rebuilding the shelter lies solely on the beneficiaries. They will therefore mobilize the concerned agencies working for the rehabilitation. They will utilize the local resources use their family labout in the building constructio. to ensre the proper use of incentives, subsidies and techcnicl support will be the duty of each and every beneficieries. They will also disseminate technical information among themselves and promote mutual help.
International donor agencies: They can help HMG in the rehabilitation work in many ways. They can provide soft loan, cash grant and techncial support. Major technical programs could be communication support focusing on dissemination of technical information
In order to ensure the participation of all th concerned agencies and successful implementation of the plan, an organization framework has been designed and proposed for implementation.
Important deadlines of the Plan
Designation of Bank offices and prepararion of loan procedures Oct. 1
Start of loan disbursement Dec. 18
Preparation of quake resistant norms Oct 15
Improved buildings designs Oct 14
Orientation training for overseers Nov 4
Training on town planning for engineers Nov 7
Training for rural workers Dec 15
Locak level workshop February
Construction of model houses Dec 14
Start of dissemination Program Oct. 14